It’s hard to believe we have come to this, but yes, factions of our country want to ban books.
What does that mean for those of us that read to learn and grow?
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood along with “A Brave New World,” by Aldous Huxley made the list of challenged and banned books as determined by the American Library Assoc.https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2019
I will only comment on the books I have read, and I wish legislators would do the same.
These two books seem to have predicted the future. And that future is bleak, so it is no wonder that the Powers That Be Too Powerful feel threatened.
“The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas had me laughing and crying. It is powerful. It is unfortunately quite believable.
Why would anyone want to block the reading of books? I can only guess that they are afraid of presenting alternate ideas, ideas that threaten the status quo.
But, wouldn’t all new and alternative ways of thinking do this? Why aren’t we open to new ideas?
There is no growth without change.
Many things do not work efficiently or effectively in this country. I will point to healthcare as an example.
We need to look for better ideas!
What can we do as thoughtful and engaged readers? Readers who know the power of the written word?
Here are some answers to those questions:
1)Donate to the ALA which actively resists and educates the population on this issue.
2) Contact your members of Congress. This would depend on your address.
3) Buy and gift those books on the list. Get them into the hands of people who long for good ideas!
I don’t think any individual (or small group of individuals) should decide what should be read and what shouldn’t be read by the population at large. There is a lot of garbage out there, and unfortunately, it can result in confusion, belief of lies, and bad behavior. However, the only way to discern truth is to be read everything, discuss what we’ve read, and pray for wisdom. When any one group bans books, it’s the first step to a scary situation.
I agree-whole heartedly!